The Boken Column

Volves, Ed. "Freda Kahlo at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art." 16 June 2008. California Literacy Review. 17 Sept. 2009 http://calitreview.com/747

The Broken Column

There is so much take note of in Freda Kahlo’s, The Broken Column. Like most of her artwork, she is the subject. In this specific portrait however, she is the only subject up for discussion as all attention is on her. In this representation, she is a lone figure in a somewhat empty terrain. Her naked torso is split into two by a broken column and her body is sprinkled with nails.

Freda displays herself with a lot of honestly here. The broken column in her torso, which has replaced her spine, shows a deep rooted pain. This torso is also exteriorly bound by straps. Upon a closer look, you recognize that the column is not just broken, but has been carefully pieced back together. This detailing resembles all that she has endured throughout her life, all of the agony she has gone through. Like the broken column, Freda too has pieced her life back together. The bindings across her torso symbolize the support system needed in her yet fragile state.

The remainder of Freda’s body illustrate just as much as her upper body. The expression on her teary eyed face is almost nonexistent. The blank appearance illustrates her valor and exhaustion, while her impermissible tears expose the lingering pain of one whose plate is filled with sting and tenderness- of one who may not be able to take on much more. While the trunk of Freda’s body is mostly naked, perhaps exposing her vulnerability, wrapped around her waist is a blanket. On both the blanket and her exposed skin, she is scattered with piercing nails. The nails possibly resemble the many other pains she’s undergone, or stand as a reminder of what she’s been through. Either way, it’s another reference to pain she has encountered.

Another important aspect was the environment in which she chose to portray herself, alone in a barren terrain on a blue skied day. Releasing a slight sense of loneliness it seems her emotions falls along the lines of acceptance, and somewhere between the extremes of abandonment and independence.

The Broken Column depicts both the obvious pain she’s undergone and also a sense of achievement getting past it. As someone who has obviously endured a lot, she has managed to hold herself together and I think this is exactly what this piece is trying to say. Aside from what’s represented here, I think that Freda’s capability to expose herself by the mere creation of this piece says a lot about her ability to cope and move forward.